


The Fight of the Lavabenders

by Jupe_Soupe, Jupiter (Jupe_Soupe)



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Blood, Death, Gen, Red Lotus (Avatar), au where mako and bolins parents are alive in the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:33:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jupe_Soupe/pseuds/Jupe_Soupe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jupe_Soupe/pseuds/Jupiter
Summary: Mako and Bolin's dad fights Ghazan, things get ugly
Relationships: Bolin & Mako (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13
Collections: Naoki Nation





	The Fight of the Lavabenders

When San heard about Mako and Bolin going to fight the Red Lotus, he was worried. He didn't know a whole lot about them, but what he did know that they were a greatly talented group of fighters. Of course he had always had faith in his sons, when he heard that there was a lavabender among them he demanded that he be able to go with them. Sure he wasn't a political leader or a great and highly skilled famous bender, but he had a skill that nobody else had: his lavabending.  
He knew that it would take some convincing to make it so he could go with them though. So, Lin Beifong was the person he talked to. He knew she was probably the most stubborn person alive, but he also knew she could be convinced by his abilities. Sure, they didn't always get along but they did have a common goal here. Besides, both of them knew that the Beifong sisters wouldn't be able to hold their own against a lavabender, even if they were both very talented earth and metalbenders.  
And so he went to the northern air temple with everybody. He was sad to leave his family, whom he had recently been reunited with, but he knew he had to do what he could to help his sons.  
He had allies with them on the way there, Tonraq and Suyin. The three of them would often express the worries they had about their children to each other on the way there. He had previously known Tonraq through Korra, so the two of them were already friends. Suyin was different though, he knew she cared greatly about her children, but she almost too busy to keep up with everything she did.

When they got to the temple, it was desolate. It looked like nobody had been there in years, but anyone could tell that there was one hell of a fight there. Some of the stone San could tell had been lavabent, but most of it looked like a tornado had gone through and wrecked havoc. He thought that finding the airbenders would be a lost cause, but said nothing because it was what everybody was thinking. But still, on they went.  
San went with his sons to go retrieve the airbenders, he had a gut feeling something wouldn't go right and he refused to leave his sons where the lavabender may be. A man with long black hair led the three of them to Tenzin and the other airbenders. When his eyes laid on Tenzin's body, he could immediately tell that everything was so much more wrong than he thought. And then he saw the long haired man's face.  
"Ghazan?" San looked up, in disbelief and disgust.  
"San." Ghazan said, glaring at San.  
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Suddenly some of San's early childhood memories came to him. Growing up in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se was rough, but with his siblings and friends he would often find something to do. One of his best friends was a boy named Ghazan. He was one of San's neighbors, and the two of them would often practice earthbending together. They would always make up all kinds of earthbending games together, and do crazily stupid things. When they were about 13, they both found out that they could lavabend.  
They honed their bending like a sharp sword, mastering their new form of bending together. Although San's perfectionism and preciseness made him better at bending, Ghazan had more strength. They would always try to find well hidden places for lavabending, and it always seemed to work out.  
After a few years, San found out that through lavabending sand, he could make glass. Ghazan was jealous of San, but told him that it was great. San knew he was lying though, and that night he snuck out when he heard the sound of earthbending from his room. He saw Ghazan in one of their hiding spots, practicing lavabending. He would have went to go help, but suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two Dai Li officers. He wanted to call out to his friend, get him out of there, but he knew he couldn't. So he watched, he watched as the Dai Li kidnapped his best friend.  
For the next couple of decades, San kept lavabending his greatest secret. Although he still kept up his glassbending, later on making a business out of it. At this time he also gave up fighting, only using his bending for his craft.  
He always knew Bolin was a lavabender since he was young, for his earthbending was noticeably like lavabending. But out of fear and grief, he never did teach Bolin to lavabend. He didn't dare risk losing his son like he did his childhood best friend.  
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"You two know each other?" Bolin said as he looked at his father, to Ghazan, and then back to his father.  
"Bo I don't think this is time for these kind of questions," Mako said, wary of what may happen next. They had run into Ghazan before, but San didn't need to know that.  
"Mako, Bolin, get Tenzin and get out of here," San ordered as his eyes narrowed at Ghazan. They had never heard their father like this before and were scared, but they listened to him. He knew that this was going to get ugly, no matter who Ghazan was as a person now, San knew that no matter what that the Dai Li would have changed him for the worse. And he wasn't going to let his sons be harmed by him.  
Ghazan smirked and rolled his sleeves up. "So, I see you don't want to catch up, since you sent them away."  
"I can't say that I trust you after being taken all those years ago."  
"And who let me be taken?"  
San looked at him in dismay, "how did you know I was even there?"  
Ghazan did an earthbending kick at San, "I was never as dumb as you may have thought."  
San was hit hard, but he didn't back down. He sent an attack towards Ghazan, which was blocked, "and if you really want to fight, I am stronger than you think." But that was a lie.  
The two fought. Destroying the room and themselves. Blood was dripping from both of their faces halfway through, but neither of them showed any signs that they would be giving up soon. The more he fought though, the more San saw his defeat coming. Broken ribs, and broken rocks, it was clear whoever made it out alive wouldn't enjoy it. But still they fought, and before long lava had started to spew, forcing them to burn each other.  
Ghazan knew to get San distracted, he could tell him about all the times he fought his sons. This made San's bending less precise, giving him an easier time defending. He knew that San would be counting on him to punch himself out, so he tried to reverse this, taunting him in every way he could think of. He hated San for letting the Dai Li take him, and he was going to make sure he suffered.  
When San started to grow more tired, Ghazan took his chance. He punched his former friend with a rock fist, knocking him onto his hands and knees. As San started coughing his blood on the floor, Ghazan knew that he had become the victor. He looked down at San and kicked him in the ribs, causing him to fall to his elbows.  
"It was nice knowing you, San," Ghazan said as he walked away, ready to leave him there to die.  
Suddenly a pool of lava formed underneath Ghazan, engulfing him. It was a mistake underestimating San, and a deadly one too. As Ghazan sank into the lava, San's coughing and breathing worsened, he was dying and it hurt like hell.  
Mako had come back though, he didn't want to leave his father. When he saw him covered in his own blood, it was hard not to break. What made it worse though is that through his pain and suffering, San tried to tell Mako that he would be okay.  
Mako took San back to everyone else, and Kya did the best she could do to heal him. But given her state and resources, it was difficult. It took a couple of hours to even get it so that he wasn't coughing up blood. She tried to tell Mako and Bolin that their father would be alright though.  
San ended up dying that night though due to his injuries, and his sons never took his sacrifice for granted.


End file.
